West Asia

HR groups call for boycott of Qatar World Cup

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South Asian human rights groups have called for a boycott of Qatar’s 2022 football World Cup over the Persian Gulf state’s exploitation of migrant workers.

Suhas Chakma, director of New Delhi-based Asian Centre for Human Rights, said in a report on Monday that treatment of workers in Qatar was “inhuman.”

The preparations for the World Cup provide “an opportunity to expose the treatment of migrant workers by a rich nation”, Chakma said, adding that the nations that support human rights “should boycott the event.”

The Persian Gulf state has been pressured to put an end to exploitation of migrant workers, as it is implementing a multi-billion-dollar construction program as part of preparations for the international football tournament.

Amnesty International also said in a report on Monday that workers suffer “alarming” levels of exploitation such as dangerous working condition and non-payment of wages in Qatar’s construction sector ahead of the important sport event.

Amnesty conducted interviews with 210 workers, employers and government officials for its report, called “The Dark Side of Migration.”

“It is simply inexcusable in one of the richest countries in the world that so many migrant workers are being ruthlessly exploited, deprived of their pay and left struggling to survive,” Amnesty’s Secretary General Salil Shetty said.

Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia director of Human Rights Watch (HRW), also said that migrant workers in the Persian Gulf state “risk serious exploitation and abuse,” calling on football international governing body, FIFA, to urge construction companies to uphold “international labour standards.”

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